Tomas Rosicky - The graceful "Little Mozart"

I’m an Arsenal supporter and I started watching football about 7 years ago. I still remember, the first match I watched was between Arsenal and Chelsea in 2005. The match ended in a 2-2 draw. The style in which the Gunners played the game – their passion, attitude and their gracefulness, it caught my eye. I was not a regular follower of the game back then but I started following all the matches regularly from the 2006-07 season.

The first time I saw Tomas Rosicky was in Czech Republic colours in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He scored a stunning goal against USA in the group stages. But that was just the beginning. He then made his debut for Arsenal in the 2006-07 season. Within no time, he became a regular in the team. Having previously played for Borussia Dortmund for nearly 8 years, Rosicky had all the talent and the experience in the world to succeed in the highest level. I never ever got tired of watching him play. The more I watched him play, the more I wanted to see him. He was like a definition of grace, when he was at his peak. He then recorded stunning performances against all the big opponents and noticeably he scored a magical brace against Liverpool in the FA Cup.

The 2007-08 was his breakthrough season of kinds. He slaughtered the opposition with his graceful passing and scored some screamers. I knew he was a special talent, the first time I watched him play. He had something unique about his game. And above all, he was an excellent leader too. He was made the captain of his country, Czech Republic the year after the World Cup. Football had never been better for me, watching Rosicky play at his best was like one of the best memories in my life but then came the agony. Rosicky suffered a horrible hamstring injury at the end of the 2007-08 season. This was an almost career threatening injury. The injury kept him out of the game for more than 18 months. All his potentials and possibilities of becoming one of the World’s top playmakers came crashing down with that very injury.

But Rosicky never gave up. He returned back to professional football after 18 months. He was no more the player he once was, but that did not stop him. He gave his 100% in all the games he played. He fought till the end, contributed as much as he could and tried his very best to make Arsenal win games. The following 2 seasons passed by quickly, which were also struck by injuries and niggles. Rosicky’s place was taken by Aaron Ramsey, one of the upcoming talents in world football.

The rejuvenation of Tomas Rosicky, was in the latter half of the 2011-12 season. After 3 years of horror, the hard work he had put in had finally come to play in the game against Spurs, which Arsenal eventually won 5-2. Rosicky was named the Man of the Match and put up an absolutely staggering performance. Arsenal came back from 2 goals down to beat their bitter rivals 5-2. The moment Rosicky scored against Spurs,which gave Arsenal the lead — words could not describe how happy I was. I was virtually in tears of happiness after that goal, it meant so much to me, being a Die hard fan of ‘The Little Mozart’ Tomas Rosicky. He then lead Czech Republic in the group stages of the Euro 2012, but missed the Quarter Final’s due to a recurring injury in his ankle.

The journey of Rosicky’s career has been like a roller coaster, but without a doubt a wonderful one when it has been switched on. There might be many talented and better players than Rosicky in this world, but for me, Tomas will always have a special place in my heart.